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Tesla and Elon Musk won’t budge on what Cybertruck orderers want to hear
Yesterday, Tesla CEO Elon Musk teased the Cybertruck twice with two new images of a production candidate version of the all-electric pickup. Sightings of the Cybertruck have been plentiful through the past few months, but the real details that orderers want to hear are still being kept a mystery as the company and its CEO won’t budge on what they will be.
The Cybertruck is perhaps Tesla’s most anticipated vehicle in history. It was unveiled four years ago, and after delays and years of holdups in terms of development and production, Tesla is finally ready to begin deliveries by the end of the year.
However, the nearly two million people who have placed orders for the Cybertruck are still unsure what they will pay, what powertrain their truck will have, and when they will get it.
Tesla Cybertruck production candidate revealed by CEO Elon Musk
James Locke, a longtime Tesla owner, asked Musk yesterday when the company would release this information. “Enough with the hype, let’s get down to business,” he said, requesting any information on vehicle specs, pricing, and the delivery date event.
But Musk was unwilling to give that information, even still, as the Cybertruck nears initial deliveries.
“When we are ready to do so, we will,” he said. “While I think it is our best product ever, it is an extremely difficult product to build. We are in uncharted territory because it is not like anything else.”
Musk hammered this point home in an email to Tesla employees yesterday, which reminded production line associates, engineers, and others that their mistakes would be magnified due to the “bright metal” and “mostly straight edges” the Cybertruck design has.
“If LEGO and soda cans, which are very low cost, can do this, so can we,” Musk said.
In the four years since the Cybertruck was unveiled, a lot has changed, including the prices of vehicles. Mid-size pickups have increased from $33,262 in March 2019 to $41,176 in the same month in 2023. Full-sized trucks have swelled from $48,653 to $62,825, according to data from Kelley Blue Book.
Pricing is likely still up in the air, but Musk has hinted toward what potential Cybertruck pricing could be in the past. However, powertrains, at least for early vehicle builds, are more than likely finalized, and those who put a $100 deposit on the Cybertruck early on chose a specific configuration.
This option was eliminated a couple of years ago. Instead, Tesla simply allowed people to put money down, but there were no options for configurations.
We are getting down to the nitty-gritty with the Cybertruck, and with deliveries likely closing in within the next few months, people are still confused over what vehicle they will get and how much they will pay. If Tesla’s plan is to reveal this information at the delivery date, doesn’t that seem kind of late?
Nevertheless, the orderers of the Cybertruck are more than likely willing to give their money regardless, as they have been waiting patiently for the truck to be built and released for years.
Last night, we found out the Cybertruck Delivery Event would be held in Texas, and not Fremont, California, as batches of the pickup had been spotted at Tesla’s Northern California production facility.
Tesla has expanded the footprint of a massive safety feature worldwide with a recent Software Update labeled as 2026.20.6. The expansion of the “Blind Spot Warning While Parked” feature represents the more widespread availability of the feature, which aims to prevent “dooring.”
Dooring is when a driver or passenger opens a car door into the path of an oncoming road user, usually a cyclist or motorcyclist. It is among the most common types of cycling accidents, the League of American Bicyclists says.
For this reason, Tesla created a feature that warns occupants not to open the door because an object is approaching. The feature will sound a chime, and it will also delay the opening of the door to prevent an incident.
The release notes state (via Not a Tesla App):
“If you attempt to open a door while an approaching object is detected in your blind spot (for example, a bicyclist approaching from behind) a chime sounds, and your door will not open upon initial button press. Wait a short time and press the button a second time to override the warning.”
Tesla initially rolled out this feature back in 2024 with the Model 3 “Highland.” However, it remained with the Model 3 exclusively for over a year; that was until Tesla added it to the Cybertruck this past Spring.
Now, it is making its way to the new Model Y, 2021 and newer Model S, and 2021 or newer Model X.
The prevention of dooring incidents could eliminate many injuries to cyclists, especially in an urban setting. Dooring accounts for 10-20 percent of bike-related crashes in major cities, and over 17,000 dooring-related incidents were treated in the U.S. over the course of a decade. These usually involve fractures, contusions, and head trauma.
Tesla confirmed this morning that it has sent the first production units, manufactured with no steering wheel or pedals, to on-road testing in Austin, sharing video of the first rides with no human controls.
The lack of steering wheels and pedals in the Cybercab aligns with Tesla’s self-certification of Robotaxi as Level 4 SAE, a platform it plans to make widespread through internal vehicles and customer-owned cars that will operate and generate revenue for individuals.
The start of these engineering tests is a major signal for Tesla, which plans to bring driverless, wheel-less, and pedal-less Cybercabs to market in the coming months. With production already well underway at Gigafactory Texas, where the Cybercab is built, there is some inclination to believe the first public rides could happen sooner rather than later.
Engineering tests of the first production Cybercab have begun in Austin pic.twitter.com/fk3KQvcE8a
— Tesla (@Tesla) June 30, 2026
Tesla’s engineering tests will put the Cybercab in real-world scenarios, testing not only the hardware, but more importantly, the software that drives the car around Austin with nobody supervising it within the car.
This is perhaps the biggest part of the internal testing process, especially prior to allowing regular, everyday people to hail the Cybercab for an autonomous ride. These early rides serve as a true benchmark for Tesla: How many rides can it achieve safely? How many miles did it travel consecutively without needing an intervention? What scenarios challenge the Full Self-Driving suite the most?
The proper precautions have already been put into place as well, as Tesla released the First Responders Guide to Cybercab over the weekend, ensuring that emergency services have 24/7 access to Robotaxi Assistance, as well as other boundaries, such as Geofencing features that can be used to redirect autonomous vehicle traffic due to accidents, road closures, construction, or maintenance.
Cybercab seems genuinely close to being added to the Robotaxi fleet in Austin, but Tesla has prioritized safety throughout this entire process. Therefore, we think it could be months before it truly starts giving rides to the public. People have been frustrated with this, but Robotaxi in Austin has a tremendous safety record so far, so the slow rollout has kept people safe and accidents to a minimum.
The most important thing is that Tesla continues to show consistent progress in the Cybercab’s ramp-up toward fleet addition. A few weeks back, we saw the EPA reward the Cybercab a Certificate of Conformity, allowing it to enter the stream of commerce. Then, we saw Tesla add decals, signaling that it was likely about to start testing it publicly. That has now happened.
The next big move will be the announcement of the first rides, so this Summer should be filled with anticipation.
For years, there have been images and videos across social media platforms that have reminded me of when I was a 15-year-old kid teased by “Xbox 720” videos on YouTube. These videos are of the supposed “Tesla Phone” that Elon Musk was secretly developing in between leading Tesla with its electric cars and SpaceX with its reusable rockets.
Would you buy a Tesla phone ? pic.twitter.com/aaTwvvIJit
— Tesla Owners Silicon Valley (@teslaownersSV) October 6, 2023
Although Musk has put those rumors to bed several times, it was never completely out of the realm that he could get involved in cell phones in some capacity. Think outside the box and more macro-level, though. Instead of reinventing the computer, Musk reinvented connectivity by developing Starlink with SpaceX.
It could be something similar, TD Cowen analyst Gregory Williams said in a note last week, where he hinted SpaceX could be gathering some steam to acquire T-Mobile.
Williams said it would be the “clear choice” for SpaceX if it decided to go through with a network acquisition. He also suggested AT&T.
The move would be possible through selling more of its own stock, which would help SpaceX raise the money to purchase T-Mobile, which would cost roughly $300 billion. It could be one of the moves SpaceX makes post-IPO in terms of an acquisition: it already acquired Cursor AI for $60 billion.
Other analysts, like Dan Ives of Wedbush, believe SpaceX and Tesla will eventually merge into one anyway, and that conglomeration could come as soon as this year, some have said.
The implications of SpaceX purchasing T-Mobile are massive. A combined entity would create a truly ubiquitous network: T-Mobile’s terrestrial 5G towers and Starlink’s growing constellation of Direct-to-Cell satellites. This would essentially eliminate dead zones across the U.S. and potentially globally.
SpaceX would instantly become a full-scale facilities-based carrier with satellite differentiation; a huge advantage. This would pressure AT&T and Verizon heavily.
There are also concerns like a potential reduction in long-term competition, and of course, a deal of that size would face intense scrutiny from government agencies.
The strategic fit is compelling due to the existing Starlink–T-Mobile partnership and complementary technologies (space + terrestrial). It could create a dominant integrated communications player. However, the regulatory, financial, and execution hurdles are enormous — this remains highly speculative with no indication SpaceX is actively pursuing it right now.
Tesla expands massive safety feature worldwide in latest update
Tesla sends production Cybercab with no steering wheel, pedals to on-road testing
